The Mascot Hall of Fame is an online museum for sports mascots. Prior to this, it operated a physical location between 2018 and 2024 as an interactive children's museum. It was founded by David Raymond who was the original Phillie Phanatic from 1978 to 1993, along with co-founder Christopher Bruce.
Mascots were first elected to the hall of fame in 2005. Subsequent elections occurred in 2006, 2007, and 2008. No additional elections took place until 2017. Regular inductions did not begin until 2022.
Mascots are elected into the Mascot Hall of Fame by the voting public and are reviewed by an executive committee made up of performers, sports executives, and other individuals intimate with the mascot community. The mascots go through a nomination process that ends with the executive committee selecting six finalist in each category to be placed on the ballot for consideration.
Over the years, the Mascot Hall of Fame has added additional awards, including Best Corporate Use for Brand, and Best Live Mascot.
To be eligible for the Mascot Hall of Fame, a mascot must have existed for a minimum of 10 years. They must also impact both their sport and community, inspire their fans, and consistently give memorable and groundbreaking performances.
History
The Mascot Hall of Fame was founded as an online-only hall by with an induction ceremony taking place each year in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, in September 2014, Raymond's mascot company signed a memorandum of understanding with the City of Whiting, Indiana, to develop a permanent Mascot Hall of Fame on the south shore of Lake Michigan. The educational, STEAM based, fully interactive museum opened December 26, 2018. On July 22, 2024, the hall of fame announced that the Whiting, Indiana museum would close on September 14, 2024. The organization will continue online and are actively searching for a new location to host the museum.
Raymond has stepped back from day to day engagement with the Hall which is now run by his co-founder and curator of the Hall, Christopher Bruce.
Mrs. Met became the first female mascot elected to the Mascot Hall of Fame in the class of 2026. This made the New York Mets the first team to have two mascots in the hall (the other being Mr. Met, who was in the class of 2007).
Inductees Name Organization Location Description Sport Division Inducted Phillie Phanatic Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, PA Green flightless bird Baseball MLB 2005 Suns Gorilla Phoenix Suns Phoenix, AZ Gorilla Basketball NBA San Diego Padres (unofficial) San Diego, CA Chicken Baseball MLB Aubie the Tiger Auburn University Auburn, AL Tiger Various sports NCAA 2006 Bucky Badger Madison, WI Badger Various sports NCAA Clutch Houston Rockets Houston, TX Bear Basketball NBA Jazz Bear Utah Jazz Salt Lake City, UT Bear Basketball NBA K. C. Wolf Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City, MO Wolf American football NFL YoUDee Newark, DE Blue Hen Chicken Various sports NCAA Big Red Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY Furry red blob Various sports NCAA 2007 Brutus Buckeye Columbus, OH Buckeye nut Various sports NCAA San Antonio Spurs San Antonio, TX Coyote Basketball NBA Lil' Red Lincoln, NE Inflatable boy Various sports NCAA New York Mets Flushing, NY Humanoid with baseball head Baseball MLB Rocky the Mountain Lion Denver Nuggets Denver, CO Mountain Lion Basketball NBA 2008 Slider Cleveland Guardians Cleveland, OH Furry purple creature Baseball MLB Smokey Knoxville, TN Bluetick Coonhound Various sports NCAA Nittany Lion State College, PA Mountain Lion Various sports NCAA 2019 Benny the Bull Chicago Bulls Chicago, IL Bull Basketball NBA Tommy Hawk Chicago Blackhawks Chicago, IL Hawk Hockey NHL Sluggerrr Kansas City Royals Kansas City, MO Lion Baseball MLB Blue Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis, IN Horse American football NFL 2020 Boomer Indiana Pacers Indianapolis, IN Cat Basketball NBA Baltimore Orioles Baltimore, MD Baltimore oriole Baseball MLB Youppi! Montreal Expos and Montreal Canadiens Montreal, QC Furry orange creature Baseball and Hockey MLB and NHL Globie Harlem Globetrotters Harlem, NY Court jester Basketball Independent 2022 Southpaw Chicago White Sox Chicago, IL Primate fuzzy green dude Baseball MLB Otto the Orange Syracuse Orange Syracuse, NY Orange Various sports NCAA 2023 Slugger Portland Sea Dogs Portland, ME Sea Dog (Harbor seal) Baseball MiLB Jaxson de Ville Jacksonville Jaguars Jacksonville, FL Jaguar American football NFL 2024 San Francisco Giants San Francisco, CA Seal Baseball MLB Monte Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz Missoula, MT Grizzly Bear Various Sports NCAA Orbit Houston Astros Houston, TX Furry green alien Baseball MLB Blitz Seattle Seahawks Seattle, WA Sea Hawk American football NFL 2025 Fredbird St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis, MO Cardinal Baseball MLB Sebastian the Ibis Miami Hurricanes Miami, FL American white ibis Various Sports NCAA San Jose Sharks San Jose, CA Great White Shark Hockey NHL Toro Houston Texans Houston, TX Bull American football NFL Cocky South Carolina Gamecocks Columbia, SC Gamecock Various Sports NCAA 2026 Cosmo the Cougar BYU Cougars Provo, UT Cougar Various Sports NCAA Goldy Gopher Minnesota Golden Gophers Minneapolis, MN Gopher Various Sports NCAA Miles Denver Broncos Denver, CO Bronco American football NFL Mrs. Met New York Mets Flushing, NY Humanoid with baseball head Baseball MLB
Gallery
References
External links Mascot Hall of Fame